There’s no doubt the Chicago Bears have the worst passing offense in the NFL through the first two games. They’re averaging just 70.5 passing yards per game, which isn’t ideal for the development of second-year quarterback Justin Fields.
In last Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Fields attempted just 11 passes, completing seven of them for 70 yards and an interception.
While Fields and Matt Eberflus both admitted it was a product of the run-heavy game plan — Chicago ran the ball 27 times compared to 11 passes — there was speculation about whether the Bears were hesitant to let Fields air it out.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano shot down any idea of the conservative game plan being because Chicago is doubting Fields. Graziano is also calling for a breakout passing game for Fields this Sunday against the Texans.
Justin Fields has a breakout passing game. This one is a real long shot, given the fact the Bears looked scared to let Fields throw the ball at all Sunday night in Lambeau Field. But they have to do something to get a passing game going, and the game against Houston, which has allowed the seventh-most passing yards through two weeks in spite of playing a couple of low-scoring games, could offer them their best opportunity yet. Talking to people around the team, everything I hear about Fields is positive. So I don’t get the sense the reason for the conservative game-planning is about doubting Fields. At some point, he’s going to have to start throwing.
Chicago will face a Houston defense giving up 270.5 yards per game, which ranks 26th in the league. While the Bears will look to exploit a porous Texans run defense, this is the perfect opportunity for Chicago to open things up downfield with Fields.
